Things better left in the past
by anerol152
Summary: The tale of Grindelwald's expulsion and the event that caused and followed it.


**Chaser 2 of Magpies;**

 **Prompt : (location)** **Durmstrang**

 **Optional Prompts :** **(image) [black and white pictures of the forrest, mountains and the like]** **; (word) past; (quote) "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I'm beautiful, smart and rich." — Calvin Keegan**

 **Disclaimer : I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be allowed to post here if I owned Harry Potter**

 **Word count : about 1749 - as stated by Google docs.**

 **A/N : Traces of Grindeldore; Gellert's school days and that's about it. I really don't know what else to add.**

* * *

"Come in, come in." Albus Dumbledore beckoned Harry into his office, Ron and Hermione following close behind. He conjured two extra chairs with a flick of his wrist and waved for them to sit down. "Now, I imagine that you are wondering why I asked you here."

The three students shifted and eyed one another before Harry nodded and Hermione, taking that as a cue, started to speak for the three of them.

"You said in your note, Headmaster, that you wished to talk about Grindelwald."

"Is this to help me prepare?" Harry asked immediately, looking at Dumbledore eagerly.

"Something like that," Dumbledore said because it was simpler if they thought so. The reality was slightly more selfish. Perhaps, it was old age finally catching up with him, but lately, memories had been catching him off guard. Just at breakfast this very morning, Albus had found himself reminiscing about one particular evening with Gellert that had involved too much alcohol and barely legal spellwork.

No one knew Gellert as well as he did. All Albus wanted was for someone to listen to the full story, the parts that he had kept secret for so long. The trio sat before him promised, in the very least, to be a rather captive audience.

"…You see, Gellert was a troubled youth. Even at sixteen, he was more interested in the Dark Arts than his fellow classmates—male and female both. That part came after." He paused then, seemingly lost in memories. "I met him that same year, you know; 1899. But that was long after he was expelled from Durmstrang. Our… friendship—and its aftermath—never would have happened had he stayed in that school."

"Was it true that he was expelled because of his use of Dark Magic, sir?" Hermione asked with a frown on her face. "That part never made much sense to me since Durmstrang is known for teaching the Dark Arts."

That brought a smile to his face. "It is true that the Dark Arts are a part of their curriculum, but you forget that Durmstrang is still a school and certain boundaries must be set lest we have another Grindelwald or Voldemort to deal with. Gellert was never a sticker for the rules—not unlike you three—as a matter of fact, he thought himself above them. Whether that certain personality trait came from his pureblood upbringing or from the man himself is not important as much as the consequences that followed his actions."

"We understand that, but we are more interested in the reason why he was expelled. To see if we can draw any parallels between him and Voldemort."

"Ah, you must forgive this old man for reminiscing about the past. He truly was an arrogant man; charismatic, too. He had the natural magnetic personality of a leader and an attractive face. That is something young Tom Riddle and Gellert had in common. There is a reason why the two of them managed to get the following they had at their prime. But enough about that; you wanted to hear about his expulsion, not the way his slightly curled hair and mismatched eyes suited his face."

Harry saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was getting lost in the memories of the past once again. "Professor Dumbledore, if you could get back to the subject, please."

"Oh, yes, yes, where was I… The expulsion; right. Well, it all started half a year or so before the big event…" He paused for a second with a grimace and looked around, searching for something. His eyes landed on a chest of drawers in his cluttered office, and he strode over, his legs carrying him with none of the frailty someone his age should have.

Lifting the lid of the chest, he turned to the three youngsters and smiled. "Perhaps," he began, pulling out a small package, "it would be easier if I had a few reminders."

Hermione tilted her head and frowned slightly as Dumbledore emptied the contents of the package into his aging hands. The three Gryffindors inched closer for a better look.

They were pictures—black and white, but already, it was clear that they held an emotional power that extended beyond the limiting realm of what colour could portray.

As the headmaster shifted through them, one in particular caught her eye. "Headmaster, could you go back a few pictures?"

He frowned slightly, but complied, reversing through them until Hermione said: "That one."

The picture had a spidery scrawl in a once black, now slightly faded, ink. "What does that say?" she asked.

Dumbledore glanced at it; for the briefest moment, he was silent. Then, with a melancholic smile he read "' _Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I'm beautiful, smart and rich.'_ That particular quote is very significant. In fact, those were the last words he had said to the, then, current Durmstrang headmaster before he left the school for good. I must warn you, it is not a happy tale I'm about to tell, but it is a tale that must be said nonetheless. You see…"

* * *

 _Gellert had always been a rather charismatic man and a born leader. That, and his brilliant mind, helped him get a small following during his days as a student at Durmstrang. He was a curious person, always wondering what could happen when presented with a mystery. That same curiosity led him to do some grave things._

 _You see, Gellert had been expelled because of his experimenting with the Dark Arts—his experiments on his fellow students, that is. At first it was small things, like the effects of large amounts of Dark magic in the environment around humans. His experiments gradually evolved from that to the forbidden arts—such as blood and black magic. The school was against it but let it pass as Gellert was a rather promising young man with a seemingly bright future in front of him. They decided against reporting him then, but I have a feeling that they would have locked him up at that very moment had they known what would have happened next._

 _He had always been interested in the history and lore of powerful objects, especially the powerful ones. In his searching he found a legend about three objects that are said to have come from Death itself. It is said that, once combined, the objects give their holder unimaginable powers. That tale inspired a series of experiments that had fatal consequences. The teachers of Durmstrang had no choice in the end but to expel him. They couldn't forgive him for the numerous lives his experiments had cost them._

 _It would be doing him a great disservice to say that Gellert had simply been 'evil'. That is too simplistic. I do think, however, that with time, he found the power addictive. There came a time when he felt invincible, and it was clear for all to see from the number of lives that were lost._

 _There was one quote in particular that followed Gellert for years, up until the point where he was no longer recognisable_ _as the promising young man many had admired more than they feared._

' _Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I'm beautiful, rich and smart.'_

 _He was quite drunk at the time, whether the cause of that was regret for his actions or the anger he felt towards his—by then—former professors it is unknown. It is a bit humorous that_ those _were his last words, but one cannot change the past. Besides, Gellert always was, and always will be, too full of himself for his own good._

 _Sadly, being expelled from Durmstrang, if anything, helped Gellert get a name for himself. His was the first expulsion in many years, and without any family for the press to bother, they turned on the young man._

 _Perhaps, they had expected to find him ashamed for what he'd done. Instead, they got spun a twisted version of the truth._

* * *

"I was later told that same tale and believed every word he said. It seems foolish now, but I was young, and as they say, love is blind." He smiled a sad little smile and looked at the trio in front of him. "That ends our tale for the day. I am sure you all have questions but I'm afraid this old man needs some private time with his thoughts. I will answer all your questions tomorrow. Goodbye and goodnight." He stood up and retreated to his rooms with another sad smile on his face leaving the three students alone in his office.

The trio stood up and decided to head back to their dorms now that the Headmaster had left the room.

Hermione glanced over at Harry and Ron. As fascinating and… illuminating as the tale had been, it did not seem to help them much. She had a feeling there was more to the reason they were called there than mere comparison between Grindelwald and Voldemort.

Back in his office, Albus Dumbledore started to gather up the photographs to put them away. It had been years since he'd looked through them and he found himself pausing at one taken in the dead of night, when Gellert had asked Albus to help him break into Durmstrang.

At the time, Dumbledore had been curious about visiting another magical school and so hadn't taken much convincing. They had wandered through the halls, Gellert demanding that they pose and take a picture in the office of the Headmaster who had ordered Grindelwald's expulsion.

Truth be told, his memories of the school were vague now. It had been dark and cold, with cramped rooms and walls laden with tapestries. The thrill of the adventure was the only thing that had kept Albus warm, as they'd snuck through long empty corridors that had no pictures on the walls but instead the heads of animals killed from hunts in the local forest. Another, poorly lit picture had been taken on the grounds of the school, with the moonlight glinting off the snow capped mountains in the background, even in July.

Sighing, Dumbledore shut the lid firmly on the box and put it to the very back of the shelf he kept it on. Gellert Grindelwald was old news - there were more pressing things to worry about now. Young Harry Potter had been right, reminiscing was not going to help matters. It was time to turn the focus from one Dark wizard, to the other.


End file.
